-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Authorities have arrested a man they say was the leader of a kidnapping cell responsible for kidnapping , raping and torturing victims along the U.S.-Mexico border .

Serafin Medina-Angel was arrested at his home in Tijuana , Mexico , on September 1 , according to a Monday statement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection -LRB- CBP -RRB- .

He is accused of kidnapping Mexican citizens attempting to cross into the United States from Mexico . His victims were tortured and raped while accomplices tried to collect ransoms from their families , CBP said .

Medina-Angel was arraigned last week and charged with three counts of kidnapping , the statement said .

Many migrants moving through Mexico on their way to the United States are victims of violence along the border , but the journey is perilous from the moment it begins .

The danger has grown as Mexico 's drug gangs expand their reach .

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CNN 's Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report .

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Serafin Medina-Angel was arrested in Tijuana , Mexico , on September 1

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He is accused of targeting Mexican citizens on their way to the United States

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Medina-Angel is charged with three counts of kidnapping